THE FAZIOLI SOUND

inquiring minds
From left: Fazioli Pyramid mahogany F212 piano; Fazioli m. Liminal piano designed by Philippe gendre.
The Fazioli sound
grand and concert pianos.
When pianistas are asked which piano is the best, the typical pianissimo to a triple fortissimo without muddying the sound,
answer is Steinway. But in recent years, piano versus piano, the plus the ability to distinguish every tone individually.
Steinway is no longer a soloist. An Italian-made grand piano has
In producing the instrument’s sound, one of the most important
captured the imagination of several legendary pianists, so much so parts of a piano is the sounding board, which in a Fazioli is carved
that a few internationally renowned pianists, including the likes from the same trees as Stradivarius violins: red spruce from Val di
of Herbie Hancock and Louis Lortie, have declared the Fazioli to Fiemme in the Italian Alps. Over a period of three years, the timber
be their piano of choice.
is transformed in a laborious process that includes a natural drying
The Fazioli is relatively new in the pianoforte world. The period that takes between six months and a year.
company was started by Paolo Fazioli in 1978 in Sacile, a vilFazioli makes six different models of grands with varying wood
lage northeast of Venice. Young Paolo had studied mechanical finishes. The largest is the Fazioli F308, which, at 10 feet 2 inches
engineering in Rome to please his parents, but he carried on in length, is the longest piano in the world. It is the only piano with
with his piano playing and went on to become a pianist at the a fourth pedal—a Fazioli creation that brings the hammers close to
Conservatory Rossini in Pesaro. Paolo told his parents, who were the strings to decrease the volume without modifying the tone.
furniture makers, that he wanted to make a piano. He set up shop
At the Cannes International Boat Show in 2006, Fazioli released
in a corner of the furniture factory, and thus began his life’s work: what may be the most futuristic-looking grand piano ever made:
reinventing the modern piano.
the black and silver M. Liminal, designed by Philippe Gendre. Its
“As I am both a concert pianist and engineer, I thought, ‘Why asymmetrical shape is a blend of the old and the new with the wood
don’t I make a piano myself?’” says the genial Paolo. “Not because top and its stainless-steel base. “This piano is conceived for a yacht,”
I wasn’t satisfied with those that existed, but I wanted my own says Paolo, “because it has a unique leg that is to be permanently
sound. So I created the identification of the Italian sound and musi- fixed to the ground to get around the waves of the ocean.”
cal language. My idea was to create a sound that is clear, elegant,
If you build it, they will come—and come they have. Angela
powerful and full of colour.”
Hewitt, Canadian native and “pre-eminent Bach pianist of our
Fazioli assembled a skilled team of acoustic engineers, wood- time”, according to The Guardian, will play on nothing else.
workers and piano makers, who produced the first prototype in “Besides having a beautiful sound, it has an incredible action which
1981 and unveiled it at the Frankfurt Fair. The new Fazioli piano responds to every slight variation in touch. In the sound, it gives
was a sensation because there hadn’t really been anything new you a big range of colour, from the most powerful to the most
in the world of pianos for several decades. The company, still a delicate, and so it’s a very creative piano. It lets your imagination
boutique business, now creates 120 pianos each year—entirely soar,” Hewitt says.
by hand. Since its inception over 25 years ago, it has made over
There are only two locations in Canada where the Fazioli feat
1,600 instruments.
is available: Showcase Pianos in Vancouver and Merriam Pianos
“To make a piano is not easy—it is a complex instrument,” says in Oakville.
Paolo. “There is a physical component, and it requires knowledge
In the world of pianos, the Fazioli has succeeded in carving
in physics and technology. There is also the artistic component. out a niche as a high-end grand piano loved for the quality of
You need both.” The Fazioli objective is centred on pleasing the its sound. “Never will the perfect sound exist. We are always
discerning ear, creating a piano tone that enables even har- thinking we can do better,” says Paolo. With the Fazioli sound,
monic components, and thus allowing players to go from a triple he comes pretty close. claudia cusano
THIS ARTICLE APPEARED IN THE summer 2008 ISSUE OF NUVO © 2008 NUVO Magazine Ltd.
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